Deacon process

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The Deacon process was a secondary process used during the manufacture of alkalis (the initial end product was sodium carbonate) by the Leblanc process. Hydrogen chloride gas was converted to chlorine gas which was then used to manufacture a commercially valuable bleaching powder, and at the same time the emission of waste hydrochloric acid was curtailed. To some extent this technically sophisticated process superseded the earlier manganese dioxide process.

Invented by Henry Deacon in 1874. The process was based on this reaction:

4HCl + O₂ → 2Cl₂ + 2H₂O

The reaction takes place at about 400 to 450 °C in the presence of a copper chloride (CuCl₂) catalyst. Three companies developed commercial processes for producing chlorine based on the Deacon reaction:

The Kel-Chlor process developed by the M.W. Kellogg Company in the United States.
The Shell-Chlor process developed by the Shell Oil Company in the Netherlands.
The MT-Chlor process developed by the Mitsui Toatsu Company in Japan.

The Deacon process is now outdated technology. Most chlorine today is produced by using electrolytic processes.

However, recent developments with new catalysts based on Ruthenium(IV) oxide were developed by Sumitomo and the first detailed mechanistic study can be found in J. Catal. 255, 29 (2008).

[edit] Leblanc-Deacon process

The Leblanc-Deacon process is a modification of the Leblanc process. The Leblanc process was notoriously environmentally unfriendly, and resulted in some of the first Air and Water pollution acts. In 1874, Henry Deacon had devised a process to reduce HCL emissions as mandated by the Alkali Act. In this process, hydrogen chloride is oxidized by oxygen over a copper chloride catalyst, resulting in the production of chlorine. This was widely used in the paper and textile industries as a bleaching agent, and as a result sodium carbonate was no longer the primary product of these plants, and henceforth sold at a loss.